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The Minimum Integration Time of the Auditory System

To obtain insight in the integration properties of the auditory system, two alternative-forced-choice experiments were performed in which observers had to discriminate between a so-called white flutter pulse (WFP) and a single positive (dirac) pulse (SPP). This WFP consists of a negative pulse followed by a series of positive pulses with equal inter-pulse time distances and amplitudes decreasing according to a geometric series, such that its long-term amplitude spectrum is white. The longest duration of WFP for which it is still indiscriminate from SPP is called the 'minimum integration time.' It might be used as a time window to observe and evaluate the pulse response of audio equipment.